No Kamloops neighbourhood immune to car break-ins

By Glynn Brothen

Image Credit: Toa55 via FreeDigitalImages.net

April 08, 2015 - 1:00 PM

KAMLOOPS - Car owners in Westsyde have been dealing with a series of car break-ins over the last week, but a spokesperson for the RCMP says it's not out of the normal for thieves to hit several vehicles in one neighbourhood before moving on to a different one.

Westsyde residents living on Bissette Road, Oak Hills Boulevard, Bank Road and Garnet Road all say on a neighbourhood watch site they’ve had vehicles either broken into or searched. Some had items stolen while others noted their personal items were rifled through in the middle of the night. Vehicles were broken into with tools or through smashed windows, but in some circumstances the doors were left unlocked.

Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Cheryl Bush says there’s no neighbourhood immune to break-ins and car owners need to be proactive in making sure doors are locked with items either removed or hidden.

“At the end of the day, owners need to remove items from their vehicles. It’s all about crimes of opportunity,” she says.

Bush says the detachment keeps weekly statistics on vehicle break-ins. Anything above 35 in the week is considered high, while numbers between two and 35 are considered average. The numbers vary — the last week of March that number was 33, while last week the number was 17.

Westsyde was targeted last week, but Bush says four different cars in Dufferin were hit this week. It's unknown if it's the same theives in both cases but Bush notes many of the vehicles were left unlocked.

"I understand why people leave their vehicles unlocked because they don’t want them damaged,” she says. “Putting stuff out of site makes a big difference. If (thieves are) deciding between five cars, they’re going into ones (for items) they can see."

To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

OPINION Editor, This is a busy time of year, but I find it’s also a time of reflection, particularly as January marks the end of my two-year term as Chair and my 10 years serving on the Board of Interior